Should students study the Bible alongside biology or the Koran with calculus? The Burnaby NOW spoke with Jason Carreiro, a PhD student and host of an upcoming SFU Philosopher's Café discussion on religion in schools.
Question: How does the SFU Philosophers' Café work? Does one need to be a philosopher to participate?
Answer: I offer a brief introduction on the topic and then ask participants to introduce themselves. Once that's done, everyone is invited to voice their opinions on the subject. It's pretty much a free conversation that I just facilitate. One doesn't need to be an academic philosopher to participate. All that's required for a participant to join the conversation is to have a deep curiosity, a sense of wonder when thinking about all the mysteries that permeate life.
Q: The question for the discussion you are hosting is: Should religion be taught in schools? Why is this relevant now?
A: It's relevant because we've been seeing that the humanities, arts and social sciences have been losing their space in the public conversation. Books are being banned from schools. There seems to be an absence of critical thinking in the air. I think there are more things to the human experience than strictly scientific discourses can handle, and that's why not only religion, but literature, philosophy, gender and race studies, multicultural education, music and the arts in general need more funding and a stronger presence in our society. Paradoxically, I also sense people are getting tired of instrumental rationality: unfortunately, technical advancements didn't solve our existential anxieties, hence I think we need more room to share the most important aspects of our lives with each other.
Q: Can you tell us a bit about the history of religion in schools and the development of the secular education system?
A: Unfortunately, many atrocities have been erroneously committed in the name of religion, therefore, there's a commonsensical tendency to associate religion to different types of fundamentalism. The association between religion and fundamentalism certainly gave birth to secular education. . In post-classical Latin, religion was re-ligare, which meant to reread, or, most importantly, to reconnect. And there are many different ways to try to reconnect with the most essential things of life.
One shouldn't feel alone or afraid to speak about one's beliefs, be them in God or in an absence of God, be it in a system of morality or another - there needs to be space in educational institutions not only for one to celebrate his beliefs, but to share them and be accepted. I can't see why a believer and an atheist can't be friends and engage in respectful inquiry about their belief or lack of belief. What you believe in, the narrative that suits you, gives meaning to you, doesn't make you more or less human, after all. I sense that secular education, to the very core, incites hatred and division, and we should be talking about acceptance and conviviality instead.The focus should be on what we learn from these divergent beliefs.
Q: What is covered in the current debate on religion in schools?
A: In general, not much is covered. Canadians seem to assume religion is a private matter, therefore we tend not to talk about it. I think that's wrong: our search for reconnection should be talked about, pondered - religion can be a private matter but isn't, in reality, because we need a community that shares our quest to validate that search for meaning, and like it or not, we are all humans, we all have our certainties and our doubts.
Q: What role does religion play in education when Canadian society is increasingly diverse, in culture and faith?
A: The way I imagine it, religion would be taught with support from literature, philosophy, theology and the social sciences, and would be taught in its diversity and complexity. I'm strongly against obliging all students to perform specific religious rituals in public schools, but I'm strongly in favor of all students doing in-depth research and having classes about ancient pagan religions, Greek mythology - (that was, during a certain period, the official religion of the Greek State), Christianity, Judaism, Islamism, aboriginal religious practices, Buddhism, Hinduism, Ubuntu, Baha'i, etcetera, and even studying atheism and agnosticism. It's important and healthy to study the other side of belief systems. Religious studies should focus on the diversity of beliefs and be a serious study that would encourage us to imaginatively develop empathy toward a narrative that differs from ours. It's time to stop hatred and intolerance. One can actually learn a lot from a person one disagrees with. We should focus on being open to each other and listen more than we speak. We should focus on the fact that we share the world, we're a community, like it or not. This conversation is crucial in a country as diverse as ours, but applies to all coun-
Q: One of the arguments for religious education is that it provides a moral compass. What do you think about this?
A: I agree to some extent. I think there are different moral systems that end up resulting in different ethical codes, modes of conduct. If we teachers could be educated to recognize that what one religion sees as moral can be different from what another religion thinks, and we could actually learn from this comparative process, that would be fantastic. It will fail if a moral system is imposed, if morality is preached. Public education shouldn't be preachy, but should teach diversity and acceptance - and by teaching I mean offer the opportunity for students to do in-depth research. And I include gender studies and multiculturalism in this same league.
Q: In a secular school system, do you think teachers or principals should make an effort to accommodate certain religious practices, like wearing a headscarf or carrying a dagger?
A: I think that all schools should have interfaith centres in which students can find solace and celebrate their beliefs. But the classroom should be a space of healthy confrontation, peaceful divergence. For example, an atheist should be able to voice his or her arguments against the existence of God, to the same extent that a Christian should voice his or her beliefs about God.
Q: What do you recommend for people who want to participate in this discussion? Should they prepare?
A: I'm always in favor of reading and slowly doing research. We should take more time, and think about things for at least 30 minutes instead of 30 seconds. But you don't need is to read anything to come to SFU's Philosophers' Café. All you need is be willing to share your opinions and respectfully listen to other people's opinions. In this interview, I gave a lot of opinions, but at the café, you will barely hear me. I'll just greet everyone and try to create a fun (seriously fun) environment for us to learn from each other.
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The SFU Philosophers' Café in Burnaby happens every second Wednesday of the month at Nature's Garden Organic Deli, 8968 University High St. Carreiro is hosting the Feb. 8 session on religion in schools at 7 p.m.
